There are just two tournaments remaining in the 2021-22 PGA Tour season, and it is time to start looking ahead to the next wave of players graduating to the Tour and who to keep an eye on heading into next season.
We saw a handful of excellent rookie seasons this year from the likes of Cameron Young, Sahith Theegala, Mito Pereira, and Davis Riley. Let’s look at five incoming rookies to focus on as the schedule flips to the next season in the coming weeks.
Carl Yuan
The 25-year-old native of China earned his first PGA Tour card and will graduate to the PGA Tour next season. Yuan is best known for his quirky follow through but possesses a golf game that can play on the big stage.
The University of Washington alum wasted no time in 2022, posting three top-three finishes over his first five starts. Yuan cemented his status at the top of the Korn Ferry Tour points list with a victory at the Louisiana Open in March.
Taylor Montgomery
Heartbreak was the word that described Montgomery’s 2021 season, finishing No. 26 on The 25 and The Finals 25 to miss getting his card by one spot. Montgomery bounced back this year and now moves on to the PGA Tour for the first time.
The 27-year-old didn’t garner any victories this year, but seven top-10s and a pair of runner-ups showed the consistency needed to stay near the top on the Korn Ferry Tour points list. Montgomery’s father is the general manager of Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas.
Justin Suh
A decorated collegiate golfer out of the University of Southern California, Suh makes his jump to the PGA Tour for the first time at the age of 25. The San Jose, California native was as consistent as they come, finishing inside the top 25 in 14 of 17 regular season events.
Suh wrapped up the regular season with eight top-10s and one runner-up, cashing in on 22 of 26 events played. The Las Vegas resident was the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world and a four-time All-American at USC.
Brandon Matthews
The 28-year-old earned his Tour card for the first time after a successful 2022 season. Matthews, one of the longest hitters on the junior circuit, captured KFT status after finishing No. 1 on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit following 2020-21.
The Temple Owl-alum vaulted up the standings with a victory in February at the Astara Golf Championship and never looked back. Matthews paired his win with a T2 and T3 in other events and eight total T25 finishes.
MJ Daffue
Mr. Monday, MJ Daffue graduates to the PGA Tour for the first time at the age of 33. No stranger to PGA Tour events, Daffue has Monday qualified for a handful of Tour events and got a taste of the action nine times during 2020-21.
Daffue parlayed that year into status on the KFT and made the most of it, finishing in the top 10 six times with a second-place and two third-place finishes. The Lamar alum ranked third in driving distance and fourth in scoring average this season.
